Illnesses

The rat is a hardy pet and does not often become ill, but close, cramped quarters, soiled bedding, drafts, excessive noise and lights, and poor food are all factors that cause stress. Stress is in itself a kind of illness, and as with humans, it attacks the rat’s immune system, making her more susceptible to illness, and this will make her distressed and unhappy. The way to keep your pet healthy is to give her lots of room, clean her out regularly, feed her a proper diet and keep her stimulated and happy. Depression can occur with rats, and this has the same effects as stress.

Symptoms
· Dull, listless behaviour - This can be depression, but this behaviour is exhibited in virtually every illness, so look for other symptoms. This could also be a lack of carbohydrates. If nothing else is wrong then she will need lots of time with you to help her feel less depressed. In the last few years the number of pets with depression and depression related illnesses has increased by hundreds of percent, so don’t rule this out.
· Red discharge from the nose – This is not blood, it is a substance called porphorin, and could be either a respiratory problem, stress, hayfever, or a sign that the rat is too cold. A lot of porphorin, coupled with glazed eyes, lack of balance and inactivity, it could mean middle ear infection, which is very serious and much have veterinary treatment immediately. Wood shavings have dust and phenols that aggravate the rat’s nose and lungs. If you rat is bedded on shavings, move to paper based. If your rat has red discharge around the nose but otherwise seems healthy, alert and fit, try putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil in very hot water and place it near enough the cage so the rat can breathe the fumes. This should clear the problem up.
· Hair loss - coupled with age, hair loss is quite normal and nothing to worry about. Just be sympathetic to the rat’s new needs. When coupled with scratching and/or greasiness of the fur, this is more serious. Your rat probably has a case of lice or mites. Parasites are only adapted to living on one host, so you won’t catch them, and nor will your other pets. To treat this a pet shop flea killer is not usually sufficient, so veterinary help must be sought. It needs to be sorted quickly as if this problem gets worse it turns into mange. To keep fleas at bay after treatment, try rubbing tea-tree and lavender oil into the fur. Remember a tiny drop goes a long way. When hair loss is hand in hand with ring shaped lesions that is hairless and scaly in the centre, isolate that rat immediately, minimise handling as much as possible and see your vet as soon as possible - ringworm is contagious throughout all species. Hair loss on it’s own could mean a poor diet or a hormone imbalance.
· Scratching - This on it’s own could mean that the rat is getting too many nuts and seeds that can cause skin irritations. Try reducing the rat’s protein intake. Otherwise it is more than likely mites (see also hair loss).
· Sores on feet - These are caused generally by wire flooring in the cage. Bathe the sores in a very diluted antiseptic and then put something like lino on the floor immediately.
· Tilting of the head, circling or loss of balance - This could either be a stroke or middle ear infection. Both of these are very serious and veterinary help should be sought as soon as possible.
· No interest in food - This can have many many causes, one of which is overgrown teeth. A good rat diet should keep the teeth down, but some rats have exceptional teeth that grow faster. If this is the case, the only solution is to have the teeth clipped regularly by the vet. Fortunately, this is rare. If it occurs in normal teeth, get them clipped then make sure the rat is getting a proper diet and also things to chew. Dog biscuits help a great deal. If this problem is left, the rat, unable to eat, will die of starvation. If your rat's teeth are fine, try feeding her rice pudding or similar, check for other symptoms of illness and if necessary consult a vet.
· Large lumps under the skin - These are most likely tumours. Consult the vet to find out if it is malignant, benign or a simple fatty lump. If the rat has a malignant tumour removed, chances are that it will grow back. Rats can live quite happily for the rest of their lives with a benign tumour, so the expense and risk of an operation is usually unnecessary, but a malignant tumour will grow and spread very quickly. A firm lump on the skin with a scab on the top is most likely an abcess. Generally, you can wait until it bursts, and then you need to squeeze as much pus out as possible and wash it with an hydrogen peroxide solution until it is healed. In severe cases the abcess may have to be lanced by a vet.
· Change in colour or consistency of the faeces - This is diarrhoea. Usually this is caused by a sudden change in diet, stress or too much green food. Try feeding cereals and dry biscuits and no greens or wet food for a few days. In these cases it is easy to sort out. If the diarrhoea is persistent and is accompanied by listlessness consult the vet as it could be tapeworm. Remember to take a fresh sample with you.
· Walking hunched up - This is constipation, which is helped the opposite way to diarrhoea - feed lots of green food.
· Favouring a limb or suspected break - If a rat has broken its limb there is not an awful lot you can do. The limb will heal in time. It may not end up straight but this does not seem to bother the rat at all. All you can do is put the rat in a cage or aquarium with only one floor and don’t let her be acrobatic in the least until she is healed. If the limb is hideously broken and infected, it may have to be removed.
· Sneezing - Sneezing on it's own is generally environmental. Wood based bedding can cause sneezing and if this is the case, the bedding should be changed. Other things include dogs and cats, pollen, new or unpleasant smells, dust and stress.
· Continually running in small circles - This is a brain tumour and is untreatable, so any rat suffering from it should humanely put down by a vet.
· Tail is narrowed and dry, and swollen at the base - This is Ringtail, and it is caused by a low humidity. Humidity must be increased or the tail will fall off.
· Lack of co-ordination and balance - This could be either a stroke or middle ear infection. Veterinary help will be needed to tell. If it is middle ear infection, a course of antibiotics will be needed, but bear in mind that middle ear infection is very serious and difficult to treat, and if the condition worsens euthanasia will have to be seriously considered. If it is a stroke, she will recover but you will have to feed her by hand (I find sweet tinned or jarred baby food like caramel pudding through a needleless syringe is best) and give her water this way too. She should be fed and watered regularly (every couple of hours) throughout the day and night. Never, when syringe feeding, squirt the liquid down her throat, always in her cheek, as rats have a poor gag reflex and may choke. After about a week, she should recover enough to feed herself, and it’s all uphill from there. However, if the stroke is very serious, she may need to be put down.
· Blood and/or a red lump appearing in/just outside the vulva – This is usually a prolapse, where the lining of the womb pops out of the body. Surgery is very simple and just involves sedation, popping the prolapse back in, and applying a stitch to hold it, but she would need to go to the vets as soon as humanly possible, as the longer the prolapse is exposed to air, the greater the risk of infection. It is very harmful to the rat to breed her if she has had a prolapse.

Basic nursing care
All rodents have their own population of flea eggs. However, rats can keep the eggs dormant whilst they are well, but when they become old or ill, their immune system cannot manage the fleas as well, and all the eggs hatch. This is very uncomfortable and irritable, so treatment must be sought as soon as possible.
If the rat is suffering trauma from an accident or fright, the best thing to do is confine her to her cage and observe her closely. She should recover in a matter of hours, but if symptoms persist, take her to the vets. If she is wounded, apply pressure to the cut to stop the bleeding. If the cut seems more serious than this treatment can deal with, again, take her to the vets as soon as possible, for she may need stitches. Never attempt to apply bandages as the rat will be intolerant of these and will become even more distressed.
If your rat has an illness (apart from heat-stroke) she will need to be kept warm. She will recover much more slowly if she has to put all her energy into keeping warm. She will need plenty of fluids as well. Green foods such as broccoli really help the immune system.
If she does have heatstroke, do not immerse her in cold water, as she will go in to shock. Instead, take her to a cool, quiet, shady place and let her recover on her own. Place some room temperature water in an easily accessible position and watch her carefully.
It is always useful to keep a syringe without a needle for feeding food, medicine and fluids, both for sick adults and orphaned babies. When syringe feeding, always enter the mouth from the side and squirt the food gently into the other cheek. Never project the food down the throat or you may choke your pet.
If your rat is ill to the point of not eating, then try something sweet and easy to eat, like rice pudding (boil the rice, drain then mix with semi or skimmed milk, heat up gently, sweeten with honey (not sugar) and let it cool down. Make up a few days’ worth and refrigerate it. Even if your rat recovers she will enjoy eating it), tinned baby puddings (like caramel pudding and banana surprise) or plain cake soaked in milk. Or you could try grinding up her rat mix and adding a little bit of gravy so it forms an easy to eat paste. Always leave her normal food out though, in case she feels better enough to tackle it and this way you’ll know about her improvement too. If your pet is not drinking then add some honey or ribena to the water. If medicine is to be given through the water, this is a great way of masking the horrible taste.

The Elderly Rat
Elderly rats need much the same as an elderly person. They need to be kept warm for example. Once a rat is old she will get sore and stiff joints like a human would, and therefore she needs to be put in a single floor cage with plenty of toys still, but nothing to climb on. She will spend most of her time sleeping, and may be not so eager to be picked up, as her body will feel more fragile to her. Because of this, young children should be supervised when handling an elderly rat. The diet should be changed to contain more fat and carbohydrates to protect against weight loss and help the immune system.

Euthanasia
We would all prefer that our wonderful pets died peacefully in their sleep. Unfortunately it doesn’t always end that way. Sometimes the time comes when we have to decide the quality of life for our pets. For example, if your rat got a malignant tumour, is it worth the hassle and trauma for the poor rat to have an operation, recover, only for the tumour to come back again? Again, use the maxim “How would I feel in the rat’s place?” It is selfish to prolong their agony just for a few more days of their time, or to avoid the responsibility of your pet’s death. Your rat trusts you to look after her and see that she is happy and well. Sometimes this may mean putting her to sleep.
This is not an easy decision and it can be extremely upsetting. Perhaps the advice of your vet can help, but always follow your true instincts and be honest about what you think is right for the rat..

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